Chapter 274: The Photographer, Todd Snap
2024-05-15 Author: Samsung Charmander (Author Name)
"Misty, I have an Admiral Krabby. How about I trade you for this unremarkable Togepi of yours?"
"Get lost."
By the small river, the group had set up a campfire and was starting their meal, while Ash was off to the side, attempting a trade.
"Hey, my Krabby has great... My Krabby possesses a strong Will of Water, which is a better fit for you! Togepi isn't even a Water-type Pokémon."
"Oh? Then let's see if Togepi is willing to go with you."
Misty raised an eyebrow and placed Togepi on the ground. However, after waddling a few steps forward on its short legs, it turned right back around and returned to Misty's side.
A Pokémon can form a connection even during its egg stage. Its bond with Misty was deeper.
"Aww, Mommy loves her little Togepi to death!" Misty was instantly filled with pride, her eyes glowing pink as she scooped Togepi back into her arms and rubbed its cheek with her own.
"We don't want a male mommy, do we?"
"Tog-e-priii~~"
Defeated, Ash could only give up. He resentfully picked up a bowl of curry rice and fiercely shoveled down a few mouthfuls, his tone a bit sour.
"Whatever. Looking at it, it probably has no combat power anyway. The Pokédex must be talking nonsense again."
"Hee hee. It's whatever to me, anyway."
Misty, on the other hand, was happily feeding Togepi.
A bit of trivia: when someone says "whatever," it's usually the second person who says it that truly means it.
During the meal.
*Rustle.*
Suddenly, the leaves of a nearby bush rustled. Ash, with his exceptional hearing, immediately stopped eating. Pikachu also lifted its head from its food bowl, its ears twitching.
The boy and the mouse exchanged a glance, their bond connecting in an instant, but they remained still.
*Click.*
The sound of a mechanism being triggered echoed, and with it came the horrifying feeling of being locked on by a modern weapon. Not daring to be careless, Ash and Pikachu instantly leaped into action.
"Watch out, there's a sniper!"
"Pika!"
Ash moved like a nimble monkey, instantly tackling Misty and pinning her to the ground.
Pikachu also leaped aside, its body hitting the ground, still holding Togepi in its arms.
Brock: "?"
Holding his curry rice in one hand, he was awkwardly frozen in place, unsure of what to do for a moment.
*Why is no one protecting me?*
"Duu~~"
Half a minute passed in utter silence, as if nothing had happened.
"Hey, what are you doing!? Are you trying to take advantage of a beautiful young lady like me!?"
Misty shoved Ash off of her, her expression unfriendly. Ash's sudden outburst had knocked over all their food.
Ash hurriedly tried to defend himself.
"Let me explain, there's a sniper here!"
"Ash, have you finally lost your mind too?"
"What sniper would be out here in broad daylight?"
The two of them looked at Ash as if he were an idiot. They weren't the ones who blew up the Viridian Gym, so a sniper wouldn't be targeting them.
"Hmph, I'll prove it to you!"
Ash dusted himself off, snorted coldly, and threw a Poké Ball. A flash of red light revealed a medium-sized blue turtle by the river, which struck a goofy pose.
"Wartortle, use Water Gun on that spot!"
"Warto-Wartortle-tle!"
Like a soldier faithfully obeying an order, Wartortle didn't ask any questions and immediately shot a jet of water in the direction Ash had pointed, its attack incredibly fast.
*Sizzle…*
The Water Gun hit its target. Half a second later, the bush began to shake violently, and then a figure jumped out from within.
This person was a boy of about eleven or twelve, dressed in artist-style clothes with a head of brownish-red curly hair. A pitch-black camera hung from his neck.
His entire body was soaked, and he hopped around like a flea, trying to shake the water off while complaining.
"Hey, why did you suddenly attack!"
Ash immediately retorted:
"You were the one being sneaky over there. The problem is you."
"Even so, you can't just attack! My camera is very expensive, and it's not waterproof!"
The boy looked at the machine in his hands with a worried expression, as if his heart was bleeding.
"Oh, in that case, my water turtle was indeed being reckless."
Ash scratched his head and recalled Wartortle to its Poké Ball.
Wartortle: "?"
*This turtle feels like giving you a wild punch today.*
A few minutes later.
"Hello everyone, my name is Todd Snap. I'm a Pokémon photographer."
After some conversation, the three learned that the boy before them was a photographer who specialized in taking pictures. The clicking sound and the feeling of being locked on had all come from his camera.
"Bro, that camera of yours is no good. Look at my Apple Photo Pokédex. One million ultra-high pixels, and the front-facing camera even has a beautifying selfie function. Most importantly, it's waterproof. It's fine even if you throw it in the water like this."
Ash dunked his Pokédex into the river and shook it around. When he took it out, it was indeed still functioning normally, save for a few unobtrusive afterimages and black lines at the top of the screen.
"Taking photos with a Pokédex? That's hilarious. For photography, you naturally have to use a DSLR. *That's* what you call professional equipment."
Todd Snap said with a sneer, a hint of smugness in his expression.
You see, the photography world has a pecking order. But no matter which brand looked down on which other brand, there was one thing that was at the absolute bottom of this pecking order, something that every camera user wanted to step on...
Phones and Pokédexes.
One million pixels?
That wasn't even a fraction of what his DSLR could do.
"So why were you secretly taking our pictures?"
Misty couldn't help but ask curiously. A hint of a blush crossed her face as she thought to herself that someone had finally appreciated her beauty.
Todd Snap quickly explained with a smile:
"Oh, oh, I wasn't trying to photograph you. I just wanted to get a shot of this Electric Mouse Pokémon."
"Pika?"
Hearing this, Pikachu blushed so hard that two red dimples appeared on its cheeks.
Ash was even more confused.
"You should have just said so! I'd love for my Pikachu to become a big star tomorrow."
"The key is that I only want to photograph a Pikachu acting naturally. Once I state my intentions, the Pokémon becomes guarded, and it loses that innate cuteness and liveliness of an Electric Mouse Pokémon."
Todd Snap explained. He was a perfectionist, and his photography, naturally, had to be perfect too.
"Come, come, let me show you some of my past works."
Todd Snap took off his DSLR and began to display his previous works one by one. Ash and the others leaned in curiously.
"See? This is Gym Leader Daisy from Cerulean City. Look at this figure, this bikini—oh oh, sorry, I scrolled to the wrong one…"
Todd Snap quickly scrolled through the photo log, but the collection was vast. It not only included the eldest sister, Daisy, but also Violet and Lily of The Sensational Sisters.
He even scrolled past The Sensational Sisters to reveal private photos of the Saffron Gym Leader, Sabrina…
Misty: "…"
*Damn, this kid is a pervert! No matter how you look at it, these angles look like they were taken secretly, right!?*
*He actually dared to secretly photograph my three sisters!*
What angered her most was that he photographed all three of her sisters, but not her? What an absolute disgrace!
"Heh heh, a friend of mine came over last time and took these randomly. I don't know anything about it…"
Todd Snap explained with a dry laugh, his expression one of perfect righteousness.
(end of chapter)